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The UK is expected to start vaccinating its medical staff against the coronavirus in a few days, according to a report on Friday.
The Guardian reported that British hospitals have been alerted to prepare to receive the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine between December 7 and 9, if it receives regulatory approval, and medical staff will be the first to receive the vaccine.
On Saturday, the British government appointed a vaccine minister as it prepares to vaccinate millions of people against the coronavirus.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Conservative lawmaker Nadhim Zahawi will oversee the country’s largest vaccine program in decades.
In this file photo taken on April 23, 2020, people look at a large painted sign paying tribute to Britain’s NHS (National Health Service) in the parking lot of Frimley Park Hospital in the city of Frimley, southwest London. (Adrian DENNIS / AFP)
The UK drug regulator is currently evaluating two vaccines, one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, to see if they are safe and effective.
The UK said frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents will be the first to be vaccinated, followed by older people, starting with those over 80.
Britain ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, enough for 20 million people, and 100 million doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine.
In total, the UK government has agreed to buy up to 355 million doses of vaccine from seven different producers, as it prepares to vaccinate as many of the country’s 67 million people as possible.
Decisions on which vaccines to authorize, if any, will be made by the independent Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency.
Pfizer and BioNTech say their vaccine is 95% effective, according to preliminary data. It should be stored in extremely cold temperatures of around minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 Fahrenheit).
Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored at conventional refrigerator temperatures and is also cheaper than its main rivals. But some scientists have questioned the gaps in their reported results.
A pedestrian wearing a protective covering to combat the spread of the coronavirus, walks past the Christmas tree in Covent Garden in central London on November 27, 2020, as life continues under a second blockade in England. (Tolga Akmen / AFP)
Oxford and AstraZeneca reported this week that their vaccine appeared to be 62% effective in people who received two doses and 90% effective when volunteers received a half dose followed by a full dose. They said half the dose was administered due to a manufacturing error and they plan a new clinical trial to investigate the most effective dosing regimen.
The British government hopes that a combination of vaccines and massive testing will end the need for restrictions on business and daily life that it imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Britain has had the deadliest COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, with more than 57,000 confirmed deaths related to the virus.
The prime minister said this week that officials hope to vaccinate “the vast majority of people who need more protection for Easter.” But he warned that “we must first navigate a harsh winter” of restrictions.
The four-week national lockdown in England will end on Wednesday and will be replaced by a three-tiered system of regional measures restricting business, travel and socializing. The vast majority of the country will be in the top two tiers.
FILE – In this June 24, 2020 file photo, a volunteer receives an injection at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg, as part of Africa’s first participation in a COVID-19 vaccine trial developed at the University. from Oxford in Great Britain in conjunction with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (Siphiwe Sibeko / Pool via AP)
The restrictions have sparked protests, with police arresting dozens of people at a demonstration against the blockade in London on Saturday.
Several bottles and smoke bombs were thrown as anti-mask and vaccine protesters clashed with officers in the city’s West End business district. Metropolitan police said 155 people were arrested.
Johnson also faces opposition to the measures from dozens of lawmakers from his own Conservative Party, who say the economic damage outweighs the public health benefits.
Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said the restrictions were “terribly” necessary to prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed this winter.
Writing in The Times of London, Gove said there are currently 16,000 coronavirus patients in British hospitals, not far below the April peak of 20,000. An increase in infections would mean that coronavirus patients “would displace everyone except emergency cases. And then even those. “, Said.
“However, if we can keep the level of infection stable or, better yet, lower and hold until January and February, then we can be sure that vaccination will solve the problem,” Gove wrote.
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